Compacted bookstack



July 14, 1953 r A, s. MACDONALD COMPACTED BOOKSTACK 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 11, 1948 l I L'.

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ATTOR N EY Patented July 14, 1953 COMPAGTED BOOKSTAGK Angus S. Macdonald, near Rapidan, Var, assignor tihiThe .Globe-Wernicke 00., a...corporation of o Application October 11, 1948 Serial N0. 53,899

This invention relates toimprovements in com-- pacted bookstacks and may be used in general and depository libraries.

In large libraries, such as university and city libraries, there is considerable material which is seldom used. The customary arrangement of stacks is one which provides ready access to all the books. Regardless as to whether or not the books are inactive use or are seldom needed the same building cubage and floor area is required without great diiferentiation. This is not errcient or economical.

To meet this situation, I propose to store little used books in general and depository libraries in such away "that about 20% of the books more or less are in view and instantly accessible along wide aisles and the remainder of the books are compactly stored out of sight but easily accessible, thus developing greater efliciency in the use of the building cubage orfloor area.

I have proposed heretofore, as in my Patent No. 2,005,434, .June 18, 1935, to provide a convert ible book structure in which standard "parts can be made readily associated with the permanent structure of the library by mounting such bookstacks in the form of rolling cases which may be moved into and out of stored relation with adjacent cases to gain access "to the books on the shelves thereof. Such sliding or movable cases have required long movements of the entire load of books on each case which makes them dimcult of handling because of the heavy loads and the fact that they are not mounted in guided relation which insure of movement into and outof fixed paths or positions.

One object of this invention is to improve the construction of :such convertible .bookstacks to provide for more "eiiicien-t storage of little used books and yet to have them readily available when needed.

,A further object of the invention is to mount the bookstacks :orcases for pivotal or swinging movement into and out of nested position for assembly of a plurality of cases in side-byaside relation, making it possible .to-gaininstant access to two rows of books from any one stack aisle and slower access to four, six, eight or more additional rows oi'books.

Still another object of the invention is to improve the construction of library equipment by supporting the floors thereof on steel posts extending 'therebetween and serving as hinge I01 pivot 'points for the shelving, which posts also serve to keep the cases and floors at true right angles to each other without-any other bracing 3 Claims- (Cl. 211 109) 2 that would interfere with the storing of books, in a very'economical structure that case of fabrication.

These objects may be accomplished according to one embodiment of the invention by mounting a series of case in side-by-side relation, as for instance, one fixed case and two swinging cases mounted in front thereof, one behind the other, which swinging cases are capable of pivotal or swinging movement to gain access to the books contained therein, as well as those in the fixed case. The pivotal mounting of the swinging cases is provided preferably by upright columns or posts extending between the floors of the library construction which will serve not only as pivotal or hinge supports for the swinging cases but also as supports for the floors. These upright posts maybe arranged at close intervals, and may be formed of I-beams, angles, or Ts, or round or rectangular pipe, of low cost, which provide ease of fabrication. Itis possible to mount a plurality of cases on a singl upright post, by offsetting the collars or hinges thereof, thus increasing the spacing of the posts, although they should be provided at sufficientlyclose intervals to allow the use of relatively short cases.

One embodiment of the invention, together with modifications thereof, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is atop plan view diagrammatically illustrating an application of this invention to the floor plan of a library storage pace, the surrounding wa-ll being illustrated in section;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a portion thereof on an enlarged "scale;

Fig.3 is an upright section there-through on the line 3-4 in Fig. .2;

Fig. 4 is a detail cross section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is ahorizontal section through a modified form of post, showing hinging oi. the cases thereto;

Figs. ;6, 7, 8 and 9 are cross sections through other modified forms of posts; and

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic plan view of another floor plan showing a post arrangement.

The invention isshown as applied to a library structure designated generally by the numeral l,

which may :bearranged 'with the library storage space thereofon one or more decks or floors, a plurality of decks or floors 2 being shown in Fig. 3, for "purpose of illustration. The number andcharacterof the decks or floors may bevaried as desired. I have shown a cellular form of deck or floor, although it is recognized that flat provides for 'for holding the post in place.

rigidly to the angle bar.

suiiiciently close intervals to support the superimposed floors, and/or to form pivotal supports for the swinging bookcases. Where several floors are provided, the superimposed posts 4 preferably are assembled in axial alignment as illustrated.

in Fig. 4, although they may be staggered or in other relation, as desired. The posts should be spaced sufficiently close together to avoid excessive depth for the beams spanning the distances between posts and carrying the floor constructicn.

V a post comprising two angles 29, connected to- While the posts 4 may be mounted in any suitable or desired manner on the respective floors, I have shown a floor flange 5 at the bottom end of each post. The post 4 is screw-threaded into the flange 5, and the flange 5 is securely bolted at 6 to the floor. Other types of posts will require different types of fastenings.

At the upper end of each post 4 is an angle bar.

3 attached to the superimposed deck or floor 2 A bolt or bolts or other fastenings 1 extends through the upper end portion of the post 4, and through the vertical flange of the angle bar 3, to secure the post The flange of theangle bar engages in a notch IS in the upper end of the post. If desired, other fasteningsmay beused to secure the angle bar 3 to the floor, than the bolts 1.

A T-beam may be substituted for the angle bar 3, if desired. It is preferred to mount the downward leg of the bar 3 in a notch in the upper ends of the posts to make possible the utilization of all the height to the ceiling for book storage without meeting any interference to the swinging of the interior cases through an arc of 90 into a fully openedposition.

In the form of floor shown, a steel filler 8 is interposed in the floor to provide a direct end-toend abutting relation between the superimposed posts. Such a filler may not be required for other forms of floors.

Another form ofv post is illustrated in Fig. 5, which may be used in place of the round post 4, shown in Figs. 1 to 4, to provide a pivoted or hinged support for the bookcases. In the form shown in Fig. 5, the post is designated generally at 24, and is shown in the form of an I beam suitably mounted on the floors or decks 2; at its opposite ends to provide a rigid structure. Attached to one face of the I beam 24 is a hinge support member 25, connected by bolts 26 with the I beam or post. Hinge leaves 21 are connected by pintles 28, with the hinge support 25, on opposite sides of the I beam or post 24, in the form illustrated, which leaves 21 are adapted to be attached to the shelf supports of the cases, so as to form hinge supports therefor, and thereby provide a swinging mounting for the cases on the posts.

Additional forms of posts are shown in Figs. 6 to 9, as examples of fabricated structures that may be used either for supporting the superimposed decks or floors or as pivotal or hinge supports for the swinging cases. It will be understood that any suitable or desired form of post or support may be used as desired without departing from this invention.

In the form shown in Fig. 6, .I have provided gether by fastenings 30,,suchas rivets or bolts,

to form a rigid member that may be mounted in upright position between adjacent cases.

As shown in Fig. 7, each post may be formed of two channels 3|, arranged with the edges thereof in abutting relation and welded together to form a hollow post structure. Another form of similar construction isshown at 32, in Fig. 8, made, however, from two angles welded together at the edges.

.While the form of T shown in Fig. 6 is fabricated from angles, a similar member may be 7 provided of T stock, designated 33 in Fig. 9, and

used as a post. Either the web or the cross member thereof may be used for attachment of the hinge support thereto.

Any suitable means may be used for hingedly mounting the bookcases to such posts, such as the form of hinge support shown in Fig. 5. Furthermore, a hinge support of this type may be used also for a round post of the character illus.

trated in Figs. 1 to 4, in place of the pivotal supports there shown. I

It is sometimes desirable to use a construction wherein a part, such as one-half, of the posts are designed to carry overhead floor loads, as designated at 35, in Fig. 10. The other portion or one-half in this example may be emplaceable,

as designated at 375, in Fig. 10. These emplaceable posts 36 need not be put in place until they are required for supporting cases on them, thus permitting one or more stack floors or portions thereof to beleft somewhat open with a minimum of post obstructions to permit the use of the space for other purposes until required for more compact storage. Where the building structure is adapted to accommodate such emplaceable posts, the floor construction should be made somewhat heavier to carry wider spans and the concentrated loads resulting from the use of such emplaceable posts.

One form of bookstack construction is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 which may be varied, however, as desired. In this form, stationary or fixed bookcases are designated generally at 9 (which are preferably but not necessarily stationary). A row of swinging bookcases I0 is shown as arranged in front of the cases 9. A second row of swinging bookcases II is shown as arranged in front of the swinging bookcases Ill. The bookcases In and l l are arranged one behind another but are pivotally mounted for swinging movement to gain access to the books thereon. All bookcases are so designed that they are either single or double faced and can have either one 'or two rows of books at the same level.

Each of the bookcases may be constructed in any suitable or desired form, with the shelves thereof either adjustable or fixed and spaced apart a distance to accommodate the books to be received thereon. The bottom shelf in each case preferably is bolted in a fixed location, but all other shelves prefer-ably are adjustable in their positions. The uppermost shelf preferably is bolted in position so as to serve as a brace for the shelf supports and is so located that there is room for a row of books between this shelf and the ceiling.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 3, the shelves are designated at l2 connected to upright shelf supports [3 in a rectangular structure. This structure does not require any gusset plating or diaphragming ofthe case because the stack posts andfioors hold the vertical and horizontal partsof the cases in rectangularalignment.

Aisles are shown at .I I, between the ranges of upright cases, which aisles should be sufficiently,

I5, attached thereto, which arms are fixed to collars I6, journaled on. the post 4. The arms I may be welded to the steel cases as well as to the collars I6, and disposed so that the collars or hinges of adjacent leases fit on the same pipe or post 4, in offset or gooseneck relation. Thus 7 a pair of cases In or II may be pivotally .or

hingedly mounted on a single post as will be apparent from Fig. 2, to swing in opposite direc tions relative to the center axisthereof. Alternatively to using the posts as pivots for swinging the cases they may be used as attachments for hinges which are also attached to the end shelf supports of the cases and permit them to swing around as desired.

Each of the swinging cases I0 and II may be provided with rollers or casters I! on the bottom thereof, which may be fixed or swiveled to the bottom of the case. It is preferred that a roller be provided on each of the non-pivot corners, generally as indicated in Fig. 2, although the dispositionof the rollers and the character thereof may be varied as desired.

The fixed bookcases 9 between the adjacent aisles 14 are shown as havinggswinging cases III on both sides thereof in direct abutting relation to the fixed cases, and swinging cases II are mounted directly in front of the cases I0. Thus it is possible in the arrangement shown, by making each of the cases I0 and II double faced, to gain access to at least five rows of books from one side of any one aisle-the books on both sides of each of the cases I0 and II, and at the front of the case 9. This is made possible by the outward swinging movement of the case or cases I I, when access may be had to one or'both sides thereof. Then with the case or cases II moved outward to the dotted line position in Fig. 2, the case or cases I0 may be moved outwardly approximately to the dotted line position for access to the books on both sides thereof. At the same time, with the cases I0 and I I, in the respective dotted lin positions shown, access may be had to the cases 9.

The mounting of each of the bookcases I0 and II for outward swinging movement permits sufficient opening of these bookcases in the respective outermost rows of each bank of bookcases to provide relatively narrow aisles extending inwardly from the main aisles I4, and perpendicular thereto, to the interior of each bank of bookcases, so as to gain access for instance to the fixed bookcases 9, or to other portions of the movable bookcases not accessible directly at the outermost portion of the bookcases. The outermost bookcases I I should be free to swing through 180, the main aisles I4 being of sufficient width to permit of this swinging movement, in proportion to the length and width of the respective bookcases. This opening movement of the outermost bookcases II provides a sufficient opening therebetween for swinging movement of the next adjacent row of bookcases III to open positions substantially at 90 to their positions in the row, thereby providing the narrmv aisles for access to theinterior of the bank, which narrow aisles, nevertheless, are sufficiently wide for human access thereto.

By providing two rows or double faced movable bookcases and one row of fixed bookcases therebehind, it is possible to gain access to five rows of books in this way. At the same time 20% of all of the books are available at the outer face of the bank of bookcases directly at the main aisles. These can be the most activebooks while those disposed at successive points behind the face of the bank can be the respectively little used books or inactive book-s of the library.

Thewidth of the aisle will depend upon the length of cases I0 and II, inasmuch as it should provide for the swinging movement thereof to open positions. As an example, however, the aisles may be made forty-two inches wide. While somewhat wider than the standard 'width of aisle used heretofore, at least ten rows .of books may .be made accessible from one aisle instead of two as is usual. In one example, comparing the forty-two inch aisle, according to this invention, with the twenty-six inch aisle in the most compact arrangement of fixed cases, this invention accomplishes an increaseof more than sixty per cent in the available storage capacity and yet about 20% of the books are instantly accessible, which is enough to provide for the requirements of most large general libraries. i

The most efficient use of storage space willresult from adherence to a definite relationship .between the spacing of the posts longitudinally of the aisles; the width of the aisles and the-width and length of the bookcases. The preferred relationship is to space apart the rows of posts by a distance approximately equal to the width of an exterior swinging bookcase, to arrange the posts in the rows in staggered relationship and spaced apart longitudinally of the. aisles approximately twice the diagonal length of an interior swinging case, and transversely of the aisles approximately the diagonal length of an exterior swinging case. The length of the swinging cases is such as to equal the width of an interior swinging case plus the minimum width of a passageway or aisleadequate for giving human access to the interior of a bank of cases. As an example of the working out of this preferred relationship, the longitudinal spacing of the posts is 75" between exteriors; the spacing of the rows of posts 16", between centers; the width of an aisle between banks 42"; the width of an interior swinging case 12"; and the width of the passageway giving access to the interior of a bank 26". can vary only within rather narrow limits if efficiency is to be secured.

Where it is desired to provide for expansion of the library, it is possible to construct the bookstacks with only the outermost rows of bookcases I I, leaving aisles therebetween in the initial construction. Thereafter, these alternate aisles can be filled in with one or more additional rows of bookcases, such as the cases I II and 9, to provide a solid bank. This is practical and efficient for the storage of actively used books and accommodates for increasing the collection of books as the library grows in capacity.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in certain embodiments, it is recognized that variations and changes'may be made therein, without departing from the invention, except as specified in the claims.

The post spacings and case widths said first row, said hinge means for the respective rows being spaced apart laterally of the bank of bookcases out of alignment longitudinally of the rows of bookcases.

2. In a library compartment having a floor and a ceiling, the combination of first and second rows of bookcases arranged substantially in a solid. bank, each row having at least three bookcases therein, a row of upright columns extending between the floor and the ceiling and being located at the longitudinal edge of the first row of bookcases adjacent said second row, means hingedly mounting the bookcases of said first row' on said row of columns, a second row of upright columns extending between the floor and the ceiling and being locatedat the longitudinal edge of said second row of bookcases cases.

remote ironisaid first row, and means hingedly mounting the last-mentioned bookcases on the second row-of columns, the columns of the first row being spaced apart transversely of the bank of bookcases from the columns of the second row.

3.1n library bookstack construction, a plurality of. solid'bookcase banks separated by wide aisles, each of said banks comprising a fixed row of bookcases, a first row of movable bookcases adjacent said fixed row, each of the book- 8 cases of said first row being swingable about an axis located at a corner thereof remote from said fixed row of bookcases, and a second row of movable bookcases adjacent said first row, each of the bookcases of said second row being swingable about an axis located at a corner thereof remote from said first row of bookcases, the axes being staggered in the first and second rows, whereby the movable bookcases of said first and second rows swing in opposite directions forming an aisle therebetween' for access to the fixed book- ANGUS 'S. MACDONALD.

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